As ESPN’s College GameDay went live on Old Main, the analysts blind-analyzed two quarterbacks for a segment.
One quarterback had a 84 total quarterback rating, 11 touchdowns responsible for and a 4-0 record while the other gunslinger had a 39 quarterback rating, four touchdowns responsible for and a 3-0 record — The first quarterback was Beau Pribula while the other was Drew Allar.
Allar later threw a game-sealing interception against Oregon after going 14-for-25 passing with 137 yards and two touchdowns. Pribula went 26-for-29 with 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception against UMass.
The two quarterbacks spent their first three years together at Penn State before Pribula was forced to enter the transfer portal and play his fourth season at Missouri, but their 2025 play raises a question.
Should Penn State have moved on from Drew Allar and kept Beau Pribula?
Lyle Alenstein: Drew Allar was the right call
When the reports came flying in last year that Drew Allar would return for his senior season, Penn State fans were fired up. The excitement grew when Allar confirmed said reports with an announcement of his own 11 days after the loss to Oregon in the Big Ten championship.
There was a good reason why Penn State fans were hopeful about him coming back for another go-around. He would be entering his fourth year in the program and third as a starter. He boasted a 21-5 record as a starter and was likely going to be named a captain for the second-straight campaign, which he was.
Allar showed improvement on the field each year and the expectation was that he would continue to do the same. So far in 2025, the opposite has occurred, but just because he hasn’t panned out in the early stages doesn’t mean Allar wasn’t the answer.
Quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs with the ball during Penn State’s White Out game against Oregon at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Ducks beat the Nittany Lions in double OT 30-24.
Samantha Oropeza
Hindsight in this case is 20/20, but Allar was getting the job all along. There’s a reason why he was a 5-star and has NFL Draft buzz to his name. There’s also a reason why he beat out Pribula for the starting role three years ago.
If Allar opted for the NFL last year, which was reportedly a possibility during the postseason if he performed, Pribula would’ve been the clear-cut starter.
If Pribula was the starter this year, and got off to the same slow start as Allar, the Happy Valley faithful would’ve been reminiscing on the Allar era.
It’s a double-edged sword in this case, but Allar was playing over Pribula for a reason. If in some hypothetical world where both transferred to the same program not named Penn State, I can confidently say the only reason Pribula would beat Allar out to be a starter would be at service academies like Army, Navy and Air Force, schools that do option runs every single play.
Will Horstman: Penn State should’ve turned to Beau Pribula
Penn State would’ve been better off by keeping Beau Pribula, and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.
I get the hype surrounding the potential of Drew Allar — if he puts it all together, he could become a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft. But the issue is that reality is increasingly showing it won’t happen, and Pribula, meanwhile, is playing better at Missouri.
While I could be factoring in hindsight too much here by mentioning Pribula’s performance with the Tigers, it’s been seen before how a pro-style quarterback struggles while a dual-threat gunslinger succeeds under James Franklin.
Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula, right, hands off to running back Ahmad Hardy during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Massachusetts Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Jeff Roberson | AP Photo
Christian Hackenberg had a standout freshman year in 2013 before regressing once Franklin took over in 2014. Trace McSorley, on the other hand, is arguably Penn State’s best quarterback in the 21st century and led the team to a resurgence to the national stage, including a 2016 Big Ten championship win.
And to be frank, Franklin and company should’ve seen a big comparison point between Allar and Pribula.
Aside from the 2024 Big Ten championship against Oregon, Allar has never shown up against top-tier competition while Pribula showcased poise when thrown into the fire versus Wisconsin in 2024.
Allar missed the second half of the game against the Badgers. Pribula came in with Penn State down 10-7 and led the team to a 28-13 win, connecting on multiple passes through tight windows before finishing with an 84.6 completion percentage and a touchdown.
Give Pribula the 2025 offseason with Penn State, and it’s possible he could develop enough into showing something similar when facing a top-10 opponent. He hasn’t played a team comparable to Oregon with Missouri just yet this season, but I’d rather have Pribula start in a big game than watch Allar inevitably have another letdown.
Pribula’s also a better fit in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme. He’s more mobile than Allar, rushing for 571 yards on 94 attempts during his time as a Nittany Lion, so Kotelnicki could be more creative in play calling.
When Pribula got his first hints of action against West Virginia and Delaware in 2023, I saw the vision of him potentially being the second coming of McSorley. Granted, it helped that he also wore No. 9, but the tendencies were on display.
Penn State needs a gamer and a certified winner at quarterback to find victories in big games, as proven by McSorley’s days as its starting gunslinger. Allar simply isn’t that, so the Nittany Lions should’ve promised Pribula the starting job in 2025 before he transferred out last December.
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